ELP Digest Sunday, 6 December 1998 Volume 8 : Issue 15 The "Counting Up The Time That's Passed Us By" Edition Today's Topics: Greg Lake Statement Keith Emerson Statement *** A message from the ELP Digest *** Keith Emerson IRC Chat! Then and Now at Amazon.com Then & Now CD and stuff Interview with Lee Jackson Then and Now Album ARTROCK EXTRAVAGANZA! Prelude ======= This issue speaks for itself. Read on... - John - ------------------------------------------------------------ From: BRUCETUNE@aol.com, on 12/3/98 1:26 AM: To: ELP-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Greg Lake Statement For Immediate Release December 1, 1998 To all media.... Greg Lake has released the following statement. For some considerable time now, I have identified the need for ELP to move forward artistically, while at the same time, re-establishing the passion and innovative qualities that the band had so clearly demonstrated throughout the 1970s. During those years, the albums we made were driven by a unified desire to try and exceed the frontiers of modern contemporary music. We took the most cutting edge technology of its time, along with sterling production values, and weaved it into the most compelling songs and music we could envision. Seven platinum albums later, I felt at least in some way, that we must have done something right. Unfortunately, in more recent times, ELP has failed to deliver the same vital and inventive music that had made it so endearing during its earlier years. I must accept my share of the responsibility for this, mainly because, for the sake of keeping harmony within the group, I compromised some of my essential beliefs, particularly in respect to the way the records were made in the studio. Although, as a result of these compromises, I was introduced to some of the world's very best producers, ( -- in particular, my good friend Mark Mancina, who has taught me so much and with whom I am currently working -- ), I still felt in my heart of hearts, among the most valuable contributions I could make to ELP was that of being its producer. Sadly, in the case of this new record, it was not to be. As we began planning and discussing the new album, increasingly, I did not feel comfortable with the artistic and musical directions that were being proposed. I have therefore decided, it is in my own, -- and in the band's -- best interest, that I depart at this time and pursue my solo career. I am deeply grateful to all of the fans of ELP who have supported the band over the years, and it goes without saying, that I sincerely wish Keith and Carl the very best of luck in whatever future endeavors they may choose. Kind Regards, Greg Lake. For information contact: Bruce Pilato Pilato Entertainment 716-454-2756 Fax: 716-454-7897 Brucetune@aol.com ------------------------------ From: , on 12/6/98 9:19 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Resignation response Press Release [...] PRESS RELEASE....... EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER DISBAND......AGAIN!? In light of Greg Lake's "tenure of resignation" announced to the media and public recently, Keith Emerson, Carl Palmer and the management of E.L.P. wish to jointly respond with the following statement: It is with much regret that we have accepted the resignation of Greg Lake from the Emerson, Lake and Palmer organisation. As we all know there are many sides to all stories and we wish to reply to Greg's statement. In the course of the many years of the careers of the members of E.L.P., each has developed his own significant production skills to high degrees. It would seem that great developments should come from such a powerful collaboration, each member receiving his "fair share of credit where credit was due" based on his contribution(s) to the whole project. Unfortunately, Greg does not see it this way. He has rebuked all attempts to compromise from the "sole producer's credit" position to what is considered by all others to be the more reasonable shared "co-produced" or "in association with" credit where applicable; thereby removing any animosity that could be associated with "not receiving proper credit". This along with his failure to present the other members of the band with any tangible new material for audition leave us with no alternative other than to accept his resignation and likewise wish him luck in his future endeavours. Both Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer will be announcing their future plans after the beginning of the New Year. ------------------------------ [ Editor's Note: I have received a number of e-mail messages from ELP Digest readers in the past few days about the message from Greg Lake (that appears above) that initially appeared on the www.dynrec.com/elp web site a few days ago. Since a number of people have asked me what I know about this and I don't have time to respond to each e-mail, I'll summarize what I know here. Late Thursday night (12/3), I received Greg's statement in the above e-mail from Bruce Pilato. Since I have a continuing commitment with ELP to not send out any kind of "official" emails without confirmation, I sent Bruce a reply asking him to confirm that he wanted the statement to appear in the ELP Digest. (Yes, I have received "spoofed" email in the past. And, yes, I take the "reporting" in the ELP Digest seriously enough to not want to publish information until I've had some kind of chance to confirm its authenticity.) Once I had confirmed that Greg's statement was legitimate (confirmed since it appeared on the dynrec.com ELP site), I made plans to send out the message in an ELP Digest as soon as I had the time. Well, before I had the time to finish editing this issue of the ELP Digest, I got a phone call and the above e-mail from Keith Emerson with his statement. So, now you get to be the first to read them both. Like all ELP fans, I was sorry to receive this news. But, I'll be looking forward to the new music from Keith, Greg, and Carl - in whatever form it takes on. In terms of the ELP Digest, I want to re-assure readers that I'll continue to provide the most comprehensive ELP news (band and/or solo projects) as I can. It is important to remember that the ELP Digest was originally formed when there really wasn't an "ELP". And we still had plenty of news to share and we always resisted the temptation to dwell too much on nostalgia. We'll continue to be a forward-looking place for news and discussion about the careers of Keith, Greg, and Carl. I'm sorry that there was a bit of a delay in getting these messages to you. But I am glad that both Greg and Keith think highly enough of the ELP Digest and care enough about ELP fans to provide me with their messages so they can get the news out to you. Thanks for your continued support of the ELP Digest and the ELP Digest web site. - John Arnold - elp-digest@reluctant.com ------------------------------ And now for a little better news that's worth reading.... ------------------------------ From: Gary Davis , on 11/29/98 3:26 PM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Keith Emerson IRC Chat! Hi, folks! The latest Artist Shop newsletter is out and you'll find it in its entirety at . Here's a special edit of that newsletter for ELP fans. The really big news is that Keith Emerson will be joining The Artist Shop and Talk City on Sunday, December 13 at 3pm eastern/12 noon pacific. This special time will also allow fans from Europe to join in as it will be 8pm and 9pm throughout most of Europe. As for you fans in Japan and Australia, hey, it's just a Monday morning! Get out of bed early! The purpose of this chat is to promote the new Then & Now release which is now out domestically! So here's your chance to chat with Keith to find out what's going on with the band and what's in store for the future! All details on joining the chat can be found at including links to download appropriate IRC software. Please don't wait till the last minute to download and test run the software or you will end up getting left out! And since this is that time of year, we might as well mention Keith Emerson's Christmas Album which you'll find at . One of The Artist Shops newest members is Hux Records out of England. They've got tons of unreleased BBC tapes they're putting out. One of those now out happens to be a release of BBC recordings from Atomic Rooster and two of those tracks feature Carl Palmer! In our section of forthcoming import releases you'll find the following: TRIBUTE: EMERSON,LAKE & PALMER-FANFARE FOR THE PIRATES (3CD) Italian prog acts covering the finest by ELP. Includes contributions from House Of Usher, Trama, Lorien, Zauber, Trilogy and many more. While in our section of newly released imports , I know this will be of interest to some of you: POWELL,COZY-ESPECIALLY FOR YOU Japanese-only release of the final album by the late great drummer. Contains 12 tracks written & recorded shortly before his untimely demise in a car accident in 1998. 1998 Polydor release. See you all at the chat!!!! Gary ************************************************************** Gary Davis The Artist Shop The Other Road http://www.artist-shop.com artshop@artist-shop.com phone: 330-929-2056 fax:330-945-4923 SUPPORT THE INDEPENDENT ARTIST!!! ************************************************************** Check out the latest Artist Shop newsletter at http://www.artist-shop.com/news.htm [ Editor's Note: I don't know if the recent changes in the ELP organization will affect this chat or not. I'd watch for news about the chat at Gary's "Artist Shop" web site to see if there are any changes that evolve over the coming week. - John - ] ------------------------------ From: John Cornicello , on 11/11/98 8:56 AM: To: elp-digest@reluctant.com Subject: Then and Now at Amazon.com [ Editor's Note: I've spliced 2 messages from John into one to reduce confusion. - John - ] [ Message #1 ] Just a short note to let everyone know that amazon.com has two listings for Then and Now. Both import. One listed at $31.49 and the other listed as a "box set" at $37.97 (not released yet). The first one is listed as "on order" expected to ship in 1 to 2 weeks. Phantom; ASIN: B00000FYE3 . It has the following track list: 1. Toccata 2. Take The Pebble Excerpts 3. Karn Evil 4. A Time And A Place 5. Piano Concerto No. 1 6. From The Beginning 7. Karn Evil 9 8. Tiger In A Spotlight 9. Hoedown 10. Touch And Go 11. Knife Edge 12. Bitches Crystal 13. Honky Tonk Train Blues 14. Take A Pebble 15. Lucky Man 16. Fanfare For The Common Man Blue Rondo A La Turk 17. 21st Century Schizoid Man America The second is listed as not released yet, but they'll take an order. Msi; ASIN: B00000FYA5. No other information (or track list) available yet. I took a chance on the box set and ordered it yesterday. Looking forward to the updates on the Digest web pages.... John Cornicello [ Message # 2 ] Further to my message from a couple of days ago, Amazon is now listing Then And Now available on Nov. 17 for $17.07. It sounds like this is a US release. They still have one of the imports listed, but not the "box set" that I ordered earlier this week. But I haven't got any correspondence from Amazon saying that the box set wasn't going to be available. ------------------------------ From: elpnut@juno.com (John S Hawkes), on 11/11/98 9:35 PM: To: elp-digest-web@reluctant.com Subject: Then & Now CD and stuff Hi John--- As a US resident, I was a little disappointed to hear that the new live 2-CD set, "Then & Now," is so far available only in Europe. However, I am fortunate to live only a mile away from a CD shop that regularly stocks hard-to-find imports. Imagine my surprise when I visited the shop this morning and spotted a copy of "Then & Now" in the ELP bin!!! The H.R. Giger cover art was definitely stunning and attention-getting! It's unfortunate that Giger is not credited in the sleeve notes. [ Editor's Note: After this was received, I started to get work of a less expensive "domestic" (for the US, anyway) release of "Then and Now". See John Cornicello's note above. - John - ] The cover art could be best described as a visual sequel to the BSS cover. In fact, I'm somewhat disappointed that the band didn't save this cover art for their next studio release. It shows what looks like a woman's mouth formed by enlarged lips ( teeth showing underneath the top lip) and a wormish-looking tongue in a " lick your lips after it's finished" kind of look. The "mouth" is mounted on a futuristic looking motorized contraption reminiscient of the one on BSS. My interpretation, based on the "legend" surrounding the BSS cover, is that the lips could be of the woman represented on the BSS cover. I'll leave any further details up to YOUR interpretation! The booklet contains eight pages of photos spanning their entire career. Again, the photos are uncredited (don't piss off photographers and famous artists, guys!). Although most have been previously published, there are some I haven't seen before. In addition, there are excellent liner notes courtesy of Bruce Pilato, including an essay on the CalJam festival. Also included are detailed notes on producers, studios, tour personnel, equipment etc. The booklet's last page features a recent photo of the band sitting at a window table of a (just guessing, again, no photo credit) European bistro. Side One begins with the audio from the June 7th US broadcast of the California Jam concert on ABC television. The mix sounds pretty much as it has on the various bootlegs and other sources of this audio material (in other words, it doesn't sound as if it was digitally re mastered), but without hiss or pops. Also, the audio of the irritating announcer ("Mr. Keith Emerson...Mr. Greg Lake...Mr. Carl Palmer") has, thankfully been wiped away. I like how the 1st and 3rd impressions of KE9 were combined together into one lengthy track. Incidentally, some listeners may notice a section of the last verse of KE 9, 1st Impression is missing. This is not due to sloppy editing. ABC edited the song on the original broadcast because the TV censors wouldn't let you say (sing) the word "virgin" on TV in 1974. The "Now" material takes up the last three tracks of disc one and all of disc two. Actually, I haven't been able to listen to the entire CD yet. Disappointingly, my disc two won't play in my home CD player (circa 1986), but does work in my car's CD changer and my kid's portable unit! Maybe Santa will bring me a new home CD player! The sound quality of the "now" material is excellent and well worth purchasing this CD set! Songs such as "A Time and A Place," "Schizoid Man" and "Lucky Man" are powerful! Though the band's playing is not as complex "Now" as it was "Then," I really enjoyed the new live material on this set. Finally, I just wanted to add that the reason "Pirates" on the ROTM Box set differs from the Works version, is that a flaw in the recording occurs about five and a half minutes in (right about the moment Greg shouts, "Tonight..."). The story was, that there was a one and a half second gap that Atlantic chose not to correct. Because the mix sounded so much better with lots more percussion than the Works version, the mix was included on the box set anyway with the "gap" made almost unnoticeable. Regards, John Hawkes ------------------------------ From: Dr Andrew J Marlow , on 11/18/98 10:31 AM: To: "'arnold@reluctant.com'" Subject: Interview with Lee Jackson The following interview with Lee Jackson appeared in the Northampton Chronicle & Echo newspaper in the UK on October 17 1998. The article was called 'Saturday Spotlight'. I have obtained the newspaper editor's permission to provide this article for reproduction in your digest/web site. An acknowledgement to Northamptonshire Newspapers Ltd is added at the end of the article which must be included. [ Editor's Note: A big "Thank you" to Andrew for getting this permission and for passing this along. It's interesting to read about what Lee is up to thes days. Thanks! - John - ] Here it is: Lee Jackson featured on the BBC TV series Rock Family Trees, where he reminisced about his career with the Sixties band The Nice, where he worked alongside Keith Emerson of Emerson Lake and Palmer. He also played with superstars Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa. Today, Lee is bass guitarist with Ginger Pig - the resident band at Northampton's Black Bottom Club. He also plays with Nighthawks... Name: Lee Jackson Age: 50-something Height: 5ft 11ins Weight: 11 stone (plus) Job: Musician - bass Salary: I survive Marital Status: Divorced What was your nickname at school? Four eyes Who would you most like to spend a night on the town with? Billy Connolly Who has been the biggest influence in your life? Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Keith Emerson, Bob Dylan What has been the best moment of your life? Watching the births of my children What is your most prized possession? A custom-made left-handed Rickenbacker bass guitar (a gift from another left-handed bass player) What is your main aim in life? To pursue happiness! What is your biggest regret? Je ne regret rien If you were Prime Minister for the day, what would you do? Bring the laws against ageism in employment in this country in line with American law Who is your hero/heroine? The Beatles; Charles Rennie Mackintosh What are your pet hates? Ageism, political correctness, anti-smoking, militant health fascists What quality do you most admire in others? Tolerance, a sense of humour, true unique talent that the possessor is unaware of What is your favourite meal? Sushi, American breakfasts, Indian meals after a gig What was the last movie you went to see? Close Encounters of the Third Kind If you were stranded on a desert island, what person and what three things would you take with you? Robinson Crusoe; a Swiss army knife; plenty of cigarettes and a lighter; and a Hawaiian Tropic suntan lotion #10 What is your favourite saying or proverb? If you have tried to do something but failed, you are vastly better that the man who tried to do nothing and succeeded! (Sioux Indian proverb) What is your worst habit? Quoting Sioux Indian proverbs What do you never miss on TV? War Walks, historical documentaries What car do you drive? A little Nissan Micra What is the best thing about living in Northamptonshire? The people and the music scene What is your favourite chat-up line? I gave those up 25 years ago What was your big break? When my band, The Nice, supported Jimi Hendrix on his '67 tour If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Could I have my hair back please? Write your own epitaph He planned well, but God laughs loudest when he listens to us down here making our plans for the future Reproduced by perimission of Northamptonshire Newspapers Limited First published in the Northampton Chronicle & Echo, October 17, 1998 ------------------------------ From: Waygro@aol.com, on 11/19/98 4:41 PM: To: arnold@reluctant.com Subject: Then and Now Album The double live Then and Now is available in the U.S. Purhased it today @ Media Play in Syracuse NY. Price was $ 16.99 Disk 1 Then - California Jam 1974 1 Toccata 2 Take A Pebble ( Still You Turn Me On, Lucky Man 3 Karn Evil 9 Pts 1 & 3 Now - 97/ 98 Tours 4 Time And A Place 5 Piano Concerto # 1 6 From The Beginning Disk 2 Now Continued 1 Karn Evil 9 Pt 2 2 Tiger In A Spotlight 3 Hoedown 4 Touch And Go 5 Knife Edge 6 Bitches Crystal 7 Honky Tonk Train Blues 8 Take A Pebble 9 Lucky Man 10 Fanfare For The Comman Man / Blue Rondo A La Turk 11 21st Century Schizoid Man / America Wayne Grow ------------------------------ From: reasoner@mediaone.net (Brian Reasoner), on 11/19/98 6:42 PM: To: ELP-digest@reluctant.com "Then & Now" available domestically Hi all -- Although I'm happy that I picked up "Then & Now" a couple of weeks ago through the Artist Shop as an import for $29.95, I just saw it as a new domestic release at Newbury Comics here in Cambridge (Boston area), on sale for $14.99! Same label (Eagle) and packaging. ("Then & Now" has a list price of $17.99.) On a side-note, I ended up buying the new 8-CD boxed set of John Coltrane's 61-65 Impulse! recordings for a mere $65 ($80 list). Both the ELP and Coltrane releases are a *must*! BR ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ e-mail: reasoner@mediaone.net reasoner@post.harvard.edu ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ------------------------------ [ Editor's Note: Since I didn't want to delay this Digest any longer than necessary, I'll leave a bunch of the "fan reviews" of the Then and Now CD for the next issue. More in the next issue. - John - ] ------------------------------ From: matt riddle , on 11/12/98 1:50 PM: To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com Subject: ARTROCK EXTRAVAGANZA! Greetings everyone, Here's an event that should be of interest to all: ARTROCK EXTRAVAGANZA !!! Charity Benefit Concert December 11th. Highland Theatre 826 W. Market St. in Akron, OH. This show promises to be one of the most exciting, low cost events ever assembled, with great music & a chance to help others. Here's the line-up: TRILOGY will perform the music of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer ENVISION will perform the music of YES AFTERIMAGE will perform the music of RUSH PAUL FAYREWETHER will provide his legendary performance of Peter Gabriel era GENESIS. Tickets are just $10 in advance / $12 day of show and are available at all Quonset Hut locations, the Highland box office, and for those who need to mail order tickets, send check or money order to: Matt Riddle 1434 S.E. Ave. Tallmadge, OH. 44278 All of these acts are of the highest quality tributes in the country and are shure to please the most ardent fans of Symphonic, Progressive, and Art-Rock. In addition, ticket proceeds will benefit the Project St. Nicholas Returns charity orginization, which answers letters addressed to Santa asking for help from children in need. Also, the Good Samaritan Humger Center will conduct a canned food drive, so please bring non-perishable items to the show. Papa John's Pizza, and Starbucks Coffee will be on hand to provide food, and will donate their profits to the Hannah Rose Flemming foundation. Many items will be raffled off, with all the money going to these charities. Email me for addtional info, or check my website at: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/MattRiddle Regards, -Matt ------------------------------ Digest subscrition, mailing address, and administrative stuff to: elp-digest-request@reluctant.com ELP-related info that you want to put in the digest to: elp-digest@reluctant.com Back issues are available from the ELP Digest web site: URL: http://bliss.berkeley.edu/elp/ Note: The opinions, information, etc. contained in this digest are those of the original message sender listed in each message. They are not necessarily those of the mailing list/digest administrator or those of any institution through whose computers/networks this mail flows. Unless otherwise noted, the individual authors of each entry in the Digest are the copyright holders of that entry. Please respect that copyright and act accordingly. I especially ask that you not redistribute the ELP Digest in whole or in part without acknowledging the original source of the digest and each author. Thanks! ------------------------------ End of ELP Digest [Volume 8 Issue 15] *************************************